With the increasing availability of broadband and multimedia, the Internet has transformed from merely a medium for selling offline goods to a channel for delivering online contents and services. Examples of online contents or services include streaming video, radio, music, digital photos, adult content, Web conferencing, e-books, e-magazines, search services, educational services, blogs, etc. Many of these services require subscription or pay-per-use fees, often made with a credit card.
Existing payment services, such as PAYPAL, act as a trusted third-party between a customer and a merchant. Such payment services are primarily designed for goods to be fulfilled offline. They have similar fees and steps as a credit card service for each transaction. However, such existing services do not provide metering and session control to charge a fee based on the length of a service.